Photo of Michael E. Lacy

Michael heads the firm’s Consumer Financial Services practice, and handles class actions and high-stakes consumer litigation on a nationwide basis. He represents banks, mortgage servicers, debt buyers and collectors, and lenders against claims under consumer protection statutes, including the FCRA, TCPA, RESPA, RICO, and state UDAP laws. He has significant experience litigating and trying corporate governance disputes, including shareholder derivative claims, corporate dissolution cases, and corporate divorce matters. Michael also represents public utility companies in litigation and regulatory matters, including condemnation and land use cases.

On November 6, a judge in the Southern District of New York dismissed a proposed class action alleging that Wolfgang’s Steakhouse impermissibly printed payment card expiration dates on customers’ receipts, relying on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Spokeo to find that customers were not actually harmed by any information revealed.

Relying on the Second

On Tuesday, October 24, 2017, the Senate voted to nullify the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (“CFPB”) arbitration rule (the “Rule”) in a 51-50 vote. Only two Republicans voted against the measure – Lindsey Graham (SC) and John Kennedy (LA). President Trump praised the vote, saying that he will sign the resolution when it reaches his

On September 6, the Federal Reserve published “Strategies for Improving the U.S. Payment System: Federal Reserve Next Steps in the Payments Improvement Journey,” a paper outlining the updated tactics the Federal Reserve intends to pursue to help improve the U.S. payment system.  The paper follows up on the January 2015 paper entitled “Strategies for Improving

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has issued a formal request for public commentary on proposed changes to the Prepaid Rule, which was issued in October 2016.  According to the Bureau, the proposed changes address those concerns raised by prepaid card issuers about potential problem areas for compliance. 

The Bureau’s suggested changes would adjust error resolution

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) sent letters to the top retail credit card companies at the beginning of June, encouraging the companies to use more transparent promotions, citing a major retailer’s decision to end deferred-interest programs associated with its credit card.  In the letter, the Bureau outlined its concerns that temporary promotions – such

On May 15, 2017, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Eleventh Circuit erred when it found a debt buyer liable under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act for filing proofs of claim in bankruptcy on debts that had become time-barred. A copy of the Court’s opinion can be found here.

Background

In

A federal district court in Florida entered summary judgment against SeaWorld in a class action case, finding the theme park violated the Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA)  by renewing class members’ contracts during their one-year term and collecting unauthorized payments after the contracts expired.

Lead Plaintiff Jason Herman commenced the action in December 2014, alleging

In one of the most significant post-Spokeo decisions to date, the Fourth Circuit unanimously reversed and dismissed a nearly $12 million Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) class action judgment, finding plaintiff, Michael T. Dreher, lacked Article III standing to bring his claims. The decision provides much needed clarity from the Fourth Circuit on the

At the end of January, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published its Prepaid Rule – Small Entity Compliance Guide.  The Bureau intends for the Guide to provide a user-friendly summary of the Prepaid Rule, issued in October, but cautions that the Guide is not a substitute for reviewing the Rule, Regulation E, or

Troutman Sanders LLP announced today that Amy Pritchard Williams has joined the firm’s Financial Services Litigation practice in the Charlotte office. She previously practiced at K&L Gates LLP.

Williams’ practice focuses on financial services litigation and bankruptcy. She represents financial institutions in connection with False Claims Act actions, internal investigations and government investigations. She also